


A Frozen Battlefield

by girlygrl25



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Ash is 16, But it'll be a while, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, Rewrite of Sinnoh, This is a rewrite from the beginning...just older, but as Ash's first region, cause no one would let 10 yr olds out like in canon, no pikachu, probably going to be Ash/Paul
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2020-10-27 06:20:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20755745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlygrl25/pseuds/girlygrl25
Summary: When Ash manages to get to Oak’s laboratory on time, only to be disappointed that he won’t be able to get a Kanto starter, his journey drastically changes from the one we all know. With the opportunity to still get a true starter, but having to travel to Sinnoh to do it, Ash takes the chance to explore a region he’s only heard stories of. Along the way, he meets new people and creates a new family, all while encountering a boy that reminds him of the worst parts of his once friend. Will he be able to change this boy like he never could Gary? Or will Paul prove as cold as Sinnoh? Is he truly too cold for Ash to thaw?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First, Ash is aged up - I changed the pokemon canon (because it’s ridiculous to allow a 10 year old to wander the wilderness alone) so trainers gain their license at 16  
Next, each region has a full 18 gyms - one dedicated to each type - that are League-certified. The 8 main gyms are usually much harder to get the badges for, so having one of those badges is not only a bragging right, but winning them gets better compensation (ie, money). Badges are “active” for 5 years before they have to be renewed through re-battling the gym and only 8 active badges from the tournament region are needed to enter the yearly tournament  
However, the tournament is divided into levels depending on experience (I always found it weird that rookies could be fighting veteran trainers). Basically, what you need to know right now is that the Beginner Tournament is for trainers who have at least 8 badges from the tournament region, though they can have more from other regions, until the cut off for the next level up which 25 badges, with at least four of the tournament region badges being from main gyms  
Let me know if you need clarification!

They were all there, four teenagers all impatient to receive their starter so they could finally begin their journeys. They had been standing there for nearly fifteen minutes in tense silence, waiting for the professor to arrive. Ash glanced at the others arrayed to his left, but even Gary seemed confused and nervous under his normal, abrasive posturing. Finally, nearly half an hour after they had gathered in the lab, Professor Oak hurried through the door, a stormy scowl upon his face. Seeing the four new trainers, he attempted to school his expression, but wasn’t completely successful.

Ash, hand hidden in his pocket, nervously rubbed his thumb against his index finger, a habit he hadn’t been able to train himself out of. Anything that pissed off the affable old man that much wasn’t something Ash wanted to even touch.

Oak cleared his throat and plastered on a happy grin. 

“Welcome, you four, to the start of your journeys. Each of you will receive a pokemon, five empty pokeballs, a standard potion pack, and a regional pokedex. Make sure not to lose it, because it will be your identification for all League matters, and remember to set it up before you run off into the wilderness.”

One of his aides stepped forward with four cloth bags, handing them out to the trainers before smiling gently and leaving to continue her work.

“Now, then.” 

Oak cleared his throat again, rubbing a hand over the back of his head. 

“Unfortunately, there was a problem with the fourth starter I had arranged, so I need one of you to volunteer. You will still receive a pokemon, have no fear! It will just need to be addressed after the others have chosen.”

Ash’s breath caught. One of them wouldn’t get a Kanto starter? In some ways. that was almost worse than not getting a pokemon at all. The starters were special for a reason, after all. They were bred specifically for beginning trainers, with their first evolution being generally well tempered, but not sacrificing their power for the later evolutions. Not only that, but only trainers who scored incredibly high in the final licensure testing would be endorsed by the regional professor - which was shown with their training of a regional starter. Trainers who had the regional starters were uniformly ones that had worked their asses off for years just for the chance that they scored in the top three out of the entire region for that year’s group. In fact, the only reason there were four trainers this year, was because the two Ash didn’t know had actually tied somehow - something that was almost unheard of. That Ash and Gary were from the same town and scored in the top two slots was even more unlikely, but it had happened. But, now, one of them would be losing the privilege they had worked so hard for.

Taking a glance around at the stricken faces next to him, Ash couldn’t help the way his shoulders slumped.

But -

“I’ll wait,” he said quietly, taking a step back.

He couldn’t make someone else do something like that. 

The honor that came from being sponsored by the professor wouldn’t be gone if he didn’t have a charmander, bulbasaur, or squirtle. He would still gain free room and board for his team at the ranch - something other trainers could pay thousands of pokedollars for a month - in return for letting the professor study them. He would also still have priority at pokemon centers for his own room and board as well as healing, since his sponsorship would be noted in his trainer ID. 

Still, his dreams of a charizard - the pokemon he had loved since seeing Lance’s monster destroy his opponents all those years ago - was shot. And, he couldn’t keep the disappointment completely stifled, even in the face of Oak’s genuine regret.

“Thank you, Ash,” Oak said quietly. “Why don’t you take a seat and start setting up your pokedex? There are a couple of options for you, so you’ll need to stay for a bit.”

Ash nodded, and dropped onto a chair against the wall, digging into the bag. He kept an ear out as the other three picked. Gary chose the squirtle he had been crowing about for years, the girl - who was apparently named Maria - chose the charmander, while the final boy - Jerry, evidently - got the bulbasaur. Still, he did as the professor suggested, and decided to go ahead and get his pokedex set up. It was small, just a bit longer than his palm, and very thin and light. Its metallic red covering gleamed in the artificial lights of the lab as he turned it around, inspecting the outer casing before flipping it open. He couldn’t help but admire the twin screens. From what he remembered from his lessons, the left screen showed the actual data that was pulled up, while the right side had a touch screen - a small stylus hidden in the casing that he would find later. Below the touch screen were the basic buttons that he could use to navigate the pokedex, if he didn’t feel like pulling out the stylus.

Turning it on, and promptly muting it when a loud beep startled him, Ash quickly typed in his trainer ID number. As long as the pokedex could get a signal, it could stay current by downloading information directly from the League - at least, whatever information he was legally allowed to access. Meaning that, after confirming his ID number, and the pokedex scanning his face to match, it downloaded his profile directly, without him having to spend an hour doing it himself. It also linked up to the bank account his mom had helped him set up and link to his ID number. Trainers didn’t have to link a bank account to their ID, but it made things so much easier when the pokedex itself could simply take or allocate funds automatically when the trainer won or lost, so most did.

Exploring the features of the new device were definitely interesting. It was enough to capture his attention away from the other three and miss them filing out of the lab. He was gently interrupted by the professor, though, when the man sat next to him, jostling him slightly. Ash glanced over to him, then closed his pokedex and slid it into his pocket.

“Ash, I’m so sorry about this,” he began.

Ash had to shake his head. He had seen how upset the man was and didn’t blame him.

“It’s alright, professor. I know that things happen sometimes.”

Oak stared at him for a moment, obviously making sure that he really was alright, then relaxed, finding some sort of reassurance.

“Rest assured that you will get a pokemon, my boy. But, you have a choice. I can go ahead and give you this pokemon now,” he said holding out a pokeball. “It isn’t a regional starter, but it is a bit hard to find in the wild and has potential. 

“Or,” he continued before Ash could say anything. “You can have a regional starter from Sinnoh.”

Ash’s eyes lit up. Not only could he get a regional starter, but it would be from another region.

“But, there is a fairly large caveat for that option,” Oak cautioned, not wanting the boy he saw as a second grandson to get too disappointed yet again. “Pokemon of the starter’s age can’t take cross-continental transportation through the machines the way older pokemon can. So, you would have to go to Sinnoh in order to retrieve it. Now, since it is because of the League that you can’t get the Kanto starter I promised you, they will pay for you to get to Professor Rowan’s laboratory. However, once you get there and get your pokemon, you will be a fully licensed trainer, so they will not give you any aid to return to Kanto.”

“Meaning I would either have to see if mom could help me get enough money for a return ticket or I would have to stay in Sinnoh until I could afford a ticket home and lose out on half my time before the tournament.”

“Or,” Oak said. “You could do your first circuit in Sinnoh instead.”

“I...is that allowed?” Ash asked, blinking. “I thought you had to stay in your home region for the first year of training.”

“Eh,” Oak shrugged, a smirk creeping across his face. “That’s honestly more so that you can be monitored - make sure that a young trainer doesn’t get themself killed. Or abuse their pokemon, and such. Technically, it’s one of those unwritten rules at best. However, I have no problem temporarily transferring you to Professor Rowan’s corral, though only for a year or two, you hear?” 

Ash just breathed, not really able to say much of anything as he stared at the old man.

“After all, young pokemon can’t safely be transported between Sinnoh and Kanto. But! You’re practically my grandson, no matter your relationship with Gary, so I expect you to return to Kanto so that I can take my proper place as your sponsor once you’re done there. Hopefully with the trophy,” he winked, firmly clasping Ash’s shoulder.

“I-” Ash started, then fell silent.

“Yes?”

“My mom. I need to talk to her about it, I think. Do I have time?”

Oak considered it for a moment. 

“I can give you until 3, about two hours,” he said finally. “Unfortunately, Professor Rowan gives out his starters tomorrow, and, if you aren’t there, League regulations mean that you are no longer eligible to receive a regional starter. Due to the travel time between here and Sinnoh, not to mention getting from the airport in Veilstone to Sandgem, it will take most of the time between now and noon tomorrow, since Sinnoh is five hours ahead of Kanto.”

Ash nodded. 

“I’ll let you know, Professor.” He stood, before hesitating, and asked, “can you tell me what the replacement would be?”

Oak simply tossed the pokeball, releasing the pokemon in a beam of light.

“A pikachu?” Ash said quietly, almost to himself.

The pikachu only took a moment to reorient itself, before sending off an irritated shock towards the professor, who ducked in time, anticipating it, and quickly recalled it.

“As you can see, this pikachu doesn’t have to best temper, but, if you can earn its loyalty, it would be a great addition to your team.

“But, time is passing quickly, so I’ll see you soon, my boy.”

Ash nodded and smiled distractedly one last time, and quickly left the laboratory, checking the time.

1:02 

Luckily, it seemed that their discussion took too long for even Gary to hang around, so he was uninterrupted as he nearly sprinted back to his house. This discussion with his mom was definitely going to push his time limit to that maximum.

“You’re back!”

His mom called, bustling from the kitchen at the sound of the front door and pulling him into a tight hug.

“What did you choose?” she asked, holding him by his shoulders and looking over him, trying to spot either his partner of a new pokeball.

“Mom.”

He reached up and took her hands, holding them between them.

“I need to talk to you.”

“O-OK? Let’s go sit then,” she stuttered, hesitantly moving to the living room.

He followed, taking her hands back when they sat next to each other on the sofa.

“There was a mix-up with the League, and Professor Oak only received three starters. I volunteered to get a replacement.”

“Then…” she trailed off, looking confused.

“The professor gave me a choice. He could either give me a pikachu today, and I can be on my way this afternoon.”

“Or?”

“Or, the League will pay to send my to Professor Rowan’s lab to take his third starter. But, I would have to leave in about an hour to catch my flight, and they won’t pay for me to get back to Kanto.”

“Rowan...Sinnoh? The professor wants to send you to Sinnoh?”

Ash nodded, wincing slightly at the horror in his mother’s voice. After all, Sinnoh was one of the harsher climates, with the large mountain nearly bisecting the region and the upper half of it eternally covered in snow and ice, cooling the rest of the region even during summer. 

“But, your supplies...we arranged for them based off of traveling in Kanto. You don’t have anything that would really work for Sinnoh.”

“I know,” Ash answered. “But I started to think about it. Since I don’t have to worry about getting to Sandgem and we already bought all the food I’ll need for me and two pokemon for about a month, I can focus completely on clothing.”

“And a warmer sleeping bag,” Delia interrupted.

Ash nodded. 

“And a warmer sleeping bag. Really, all I’ll have to get is a good coat, hat, gloves, and wool socks. My boots should be fine, and my normal clothes will work with the extra protection.”

“You should think about getting snow pants, or leg warmers to wear under your jeans, then,” she added reluctantly.

Delia could tell, Ash wanted to do this. Going to Sinnoh his first year would be so much harder than staying in Kanto, in large part because he would be planning on the fly. As and Delia had spent months going over the best route through Kanto, and dozens of alternate routes if something happened. But, Ash barely knew anything about the layout of Sinnoh, or the gyms, or the best order to tackle them. He would have to devote the entire flight to just starting to get an idea of the layout. Then he would have to spend at least the first few weeks both training his pokemon and still figuring out how to travel and survive the harsh cold of the region after living in the much more temperate Kanto all of his life.

“Exactly! But, it’s doable. Pokecenters are free for the first three days a trainer stays there, and camping in the wild is what I planned to do anyway. I should still be able to find berry bushes, even in the cold, and, at worst, we can go hunting if we need to. Plus, we managed to budget 3,500 pokedollars for me to have at the beginning of my journey. So, after I buy my supplies, and until I start winning enough battles, I should be fine.”

Delia sighed, before straightening her shoulders and pulling him into another tight hug.

“Alright,” she said briskly, pulling back and standing up. “If you’re going to be going to Sinnoh, then we have about an hour to plan before you have to get back to the lab. 

“You have your pokedex?” she asked, already striding to the kitchen table, only briefly pausing to grab a couple of books from the shelf in the living room on her way.

Ash scrambled along behind her, calling out an affirmative as he pulled it out.

“Good.”

She let the books drop onto the table and sat down across from him.

“Let’s get started.”

*

“Alakazam will transport you to Saffron for your flight, which leaves in an hour. Unfortunately, it will be a fairly long flight, just about 7 hours, which will put you in Veilstone around 4:30 in the morning, Sinnoh time. A League driver will pick you up from the airport and drive you to Sandgem; that leg of the trip will be about six hours. As long as there are no delays, it should put you in Sandgem around 10:30. That will give you just over an hour before you need to be at the laboratory. Here are your tickets.

“And, Ash?”

Ash paused from carefully storing the small pieces of paper that the professor had handed over. 

“Good luck. I know you’ll do us proud.”

Ash grinned back at him, reaching out and touching Alakazam’s shoulder. 

“Thanks, Professor. I’ll talk to you soon.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I should mention that, in this world, after beating a gym, a trainer can re-challenge that gym. Winning a re-challenge will be harder because all gyms scale their teams based on the number of badges the trainer has. So, a trainer who beats the gym for the first time with no badges, then re-challenges once they’ve gotten five will face a much higher level team. But, re-challenging also gives higher cash prizes and opens up the option for the trainer to choose a TM of the gym’s type (so a rock type TM from Roark, for example) instead of the money  
Basically, you might see Ash re-battling a gym leader occasionally when he’s passing through towns where he’s already gained the badge

The flight was long and exhausting. Seven hours trapped in the equivalent of a tin can was never a good time, but with the stress and anxiety of having to start planning for his first steps in Sinnoh at the same time added it was even worse. Ash realized fairly quickly that he had absolutely no practical knowledge of Sinnoh, even with the hour crash course with Delia before he left, especially since that had been geared towards the supplies he would have to buy before he even thought of beginning his journey.

But, Ash was able to run to the larger store in Veilstone before his ride arrived. Apparently, not having any checked bags made getting out of the airport twice as fast, plus the driver was delayed half an hour more thanks to a rampaging nidoking at headquarters - which he found out from a quick message sent to his pokedex just before they landed. Luckily, despite it not even being 5 in the morning, the shops were pretty much always open, used to travelers coming into the city at all hours of the day and needing something. Unfortunately, on the other hand, it meant that they would probably be a good 30-45 minutes behind their already tight schedule. 

But, Ash wasn’t thinking about that right now - it would only stress him out even more, and he was running on too little stress to worry about things he couldn’t change.

Still, by 5:30 - and the brief message that pinged to his pokedex from the driver letting him know he was outside the store - Ash had managed to find basically everything his mom had decided he had to have to not freeze to death. He even had enough money left over to buy a couple extra potions and antidotes. Being sponsored by Professor Oak meant that he did receive five potions, two revives, two antidotes, and a single full restore. But, knowing that he would be staying on the road for as long as possible, with the uncertain chance of finding berries, meant that he made sure to get a few more without blowing his entire savings. 

He’d had enough time after he finished his purchases to essentially steal a fitting room and reorder his bag, while taking off all the tags and such. He only kept out a knit beanie, scarf and gloves - all in a nice dark red - and a lighter, dark grey coat that he had actually brought from Kanto. It was basically his thickest coat - before the one he had just bought and stored - and perfectly fine for the winters back home, but would only work for him in Sinnoh during the summer and fall, and probably only as long as he stayed away from the northern part of the region. He also went ahead and changed into fresh clothes - black cargo pants, and a sweater in a slightly brighter red than the knit things he had just bought, along with slightly thicker socks under his black boots. 

Fortunately, for his birthday, Delia had gotten him a trainer backpack - a bag specifically designed for travelling trainers that had highly resistant fabric, protecting from normal weathering. Even more importantly, they had somehow managed to figure out how to repurpose the pokeball technology to make it hold far more than it should, without drastically altering its weight. More expensive modes could even have the stasis aspect applied to certain pockets of the bag in order to keep fresh food and berries on hand at all times. Delia couldn’t afford a bag that expensive, and it really was more of a luxury than a necessity, but Ash hoped to eventually be able to afford one, for the ease of being able to just go shopping for food if nothing else.

He was just throwing away the trash from his shopping when he got the message from the driver and hurried outside, shivering in the brisk air. He hadn’t bothered to pull on his jacket or the knits, knowing he wouldn’t want them on in the car with the heater going. So, after greeting the man and making sure it was the right person, he just tossed them in the backseat with his pack. Settling into the passenger’s seat, Ash didn’t even see the route outside of Veilstone before his eyes closed and his head lolled against the door. 

Six hours later, he woke to a hand shaking his shoulder, and a gruff voice saying “we’re here, kid.”

Understandably, groggy, then highly embarrassed, didn’t really make for understandable conversation, Ash realized as he stuttered out apologies and thanks and he quickly scrambled from the car and gathered his things. The driver just waved him off, an amused smirk on his face, before driving away. Ash ducked his head, trying to hide the flush, and fiddled with his things. Once he had sorted himself out, he looked around, only to realize that he had been dropped in front of the lab. Ash froze, fumbling for his pokedex, only to relax again at the time.

11:23

Just over half an hour before he had to be at the lab. He slid the device back into his pocket, a bit numb from relief. Even with the delays, he still managed to get there on time. Early, even. 

He swallowed nervously, glancing around. Professor Rowan’s lab seemed to be closer to town than Professor Oak’s, but Ash wasn’t really sure of the layout yet. So, really, he reluctantly decided, it was probably best to see if he could wait in the lab until noon. Professor Oak and his aides never cared if he hung out and read, or followed them around, or played with the friendlier pokemon as long as he wasn’t getting in the way or putting himself in danger, but he had basically grown up with the lab as his second home. He had no idea how Professor Rowan and his aides would feel about a random teenager setting up shop in their entryway for 30 minutes.

Still, there was only one way to find out. So, taking a deep breath, he strode up to the door and knocked firmly. A moment later, the door swung open revealing a young woman in a lab coat.

“Hello?” she asked curiously, looking him over.

“Hi,” he started nervously. “I’m Ash Ketchum. Professor Oak-”

“Oh!” she cut him off, smiling brightly. “You’re the trainer from Kanto, right?”

She barely waited for him to nod before she was swinging the door open wider and stepping out of the way.

“Come in; Dawn and Barry aren’t here yet, but we have a bit of time before Professor Rowan will allow you to choose your starter. Honestly,” she tutted, leading him into the lab. “I don’t know what the League was thinking. Forcing you to travel all the way here with no warning to get the pokemon that they were supposed to supply. Now, I’m sure you’re tired after all that travelling, so why don’t you rest in here?” 

She motioned to an empty office.

“The bathroom is right around the corner if you need it. I’ll come back and get you when it’s time, so no worries!”

She smiled at him and bustled off, leaving Ash uncomfortably reminded of his mother. He shook his head, and headed to the bathroom. Taking the time to wash his face and brush his teeth would definitely make him feel more human. A real wash would happen at the pokecenter after getting his pokemon, but this would do for now. He was just hanging up from a quick call to Delia, letting her know he was at the lab, when the aide came back and roused him from the incredibly comfortable couch. 

“Hi!”

The bubbly voice jerked him from his thoughts and his vision was filled with blue hair and a beaming grin.

“I’m Dawn.”

“I’m,” he started, shaking her hand, only to get cut off by a blond boy who cut in between them.

“The other trainer!” he said boisterously, nearly shouting.

Ash nodded, a bit bemused when he saw Dawn harshly elbow the other boy with a dirty look.

“This is Barry,” she said. “Sorry about him, manners passed him by.”

“No problem,” Ash replied, lips twitching as he watched their familiar interaction. “I’m Ash, by the way. Do you two know each other?” he couldn’t help but ask.

Dawn nodded, ignoring Barry as he sped off back to the other side of the room to pester one of the aides. 

“Yeah, we grew up together in Twinleaf. It’s right across Route 201, to the west. What about you?”

“I’m from Pallet.” 

He continued after a moment, seeing her confused expression.

“In Kanto.”

“Kanto?” Dawn exclaimed, unintentionally loud in her surprise. “What are you doing here in Sinnoh? I mean, you’re definitely our age, and getting your starter, so…”

Ash opened his mouth, about to answer her, when a distinguished voice spoke.

“That would be because of a small mishap, Miss Berlitz.”

They jerked around towards the door, snapping to attention at the sight of the regional professor.

“In fact, if it wasn’t for the League finding out that your third trainer had managed to cheat his way to passing, and then unanimously deciding that the fourth highest scoring applicant was simply not ready for the responsibility that comes with accepting my sponsorship, Mr. Ketchum here would have been out of luck. However, it seems Arceus favored him this year, and here we all are.”

Ash approached him quickly, holding out his hand.

“Thank you so much for your help, Professor. Professor Oak spoke very highly of you, and was very supportive of me taking this opportunity, even though it technically takes me out of his influence for my first year.”

Rowan examined him for a moment, then took his hand, shaking it firmly. 

“I have heard good things about you from Samuel, Mr. Ketchum. Do try to not disappoint.”

“Of course, sir.”

“Now then,” Rowan said, clapping his hands. “Miss Berlitz, Mr. Plata, if you two will come join Mr. Ketchum, we can get started. As Mr. Ketchum has already attended his choosing ceremony, only you two will receive the pokedex today, along with five extra pokeballs, and your emergency kit.”

Like the day before in Professor Oak’s lab, an aide came forward with two bags, handing one each to Dawn and Barry.

“Make sure you do not lose your pokedex,” Rowan said gravely, looking specifically at the blond boy, who chuckled nervously and looked away from him. “Now, for the moment you three have been waiting for. In front of you,” he motioned to the table. “Are three pokeballs. Contained within are a chimchar, a turtwig, and a piplup.”

The aide from before stepped forward and released each pokemon onto the table as he called their names, letting the three new trainers see them.

“Miss Berlitz, if you would,” Rowan said, stepping to the side so she could approach.

Dawn quickly stepped forward, fingers tangled together and bouncing on her heels. She paused in front of the table looking the three over. Ash did the same, absently noting that there was still a level of shock, that he barely believed he was actually in Sinnoh, and not halfway to Viridian. 

All three looked promising, obviously. The chimchar looked especially feisty, very ready to battle as it flared the small flame on its tail and punching its fists against the table; very promising for someone who planned to be a professional battle trainer, as the dent it left behind indicated it might even have the line’s hidden ability Iron Fist. The piplup, which Dawn seemed especially interested in, seemed a bit too arrogant for Ash’s taste, but he knew that the empoleon line turned out fairly strong, especially on the special side and with the high number of resistances it would become incredibly useful to break an opponent's sweep. Still, as Dawn finally picked the piplup and Barry was called up, Ash turned his attention to the turtwig. The first stage of the line was incredibly deceptive, in Ash’s opinion. Torterras were physical monsters if trained properly and, despite their extreme weakness to ice moves, they were wonderful tanks. They couldn’t learn many status moves, unlike the majority of grass types, but they could learn multiple different types of reliable recovery moves and a few different TMs that could help them last longer, like Protect. Plus, he realized, eyeing the turtig, this one looked...sad, maybe. Like it had been around for a bit, but didn’t exactly think it would be anyone’s first pick. A suspicion started to gather in Ash’s mind as Barry finally decided on the chimchar after hemming back and forth for a good five minutes.

Ash stepped forward when Rowan called his name, gazes locked with the turtwig.

“Professor,” he said quietly, crouching down a bit to be at eye level. “Has Turtwig had a trainer before?”

Ash could hear the surprised noise, but kept his attention on the small flinch from the turtwig.

“Not technically,” Rowan said quietly, the disgust clear in his voice. “He was one of the three starters from the last cycle, but the final trainer...decided that this turtwig wasn’t strong enough. Unfortunately, that trainer’s father had enough clout to force my hand, and I gave him a different turtwig, one that I had set aside for research.”

“Perhaps, it was fortunate after all,” Ash murmured, reaching out to hold his palm in front of the tentative grass type. 

“Hello, Turtwig. My name’s Ash. I’m not from around here, but I’ve dreamed of being a trainer since I knew what it was. So, I travelled all the way to Sinnoh to meet you. If you’d like, I’d love for you to come with me.” 

When Turtwig still looked hesitant, Ash continued. 

“Honestly, I’m glad that you’re the one Barry and Dawn left. See, I didn’t know until yesterday that I’d be getting a starter from Sinnoh, so I studied up on all three of them for hours during my trip, and torterra was the one I kept getting drawn back to. I think you and I can go far. And if we don’t win the first time, we’ll keep going and training and battling until we get strong enough to come out on top. I want to be strong, Turtwig,” he said quietly, smiling when the small pokemon tentatively stepped forward and sniffed his fingers. “Maybe not the strongest, because then where would the challenge be? Being the best, being the strongest would mean that no one could ever push you, and you’d never get better. But, I’d like us to be strong enough. Strong enough to protect ourselves, strong enough to keep the family we’ll be building safe. Strong enough that we don’t ever have to worry about losing each other because we’ll be strong enough to drive anyone off who wants to hurt us.”

Turtwig’s yellow eyes stared at him as he spoke, low enough that the humans in the room could only hear indistinct mumbles. But, Ash saw a spark in those eyes. The pokemon was hearing what he was saying, taking it in and understanding his point immediately. Ash smiled when, finally, Turtwig took a final step forward, letting its head rest against Ash’s palm.

“Thank you,” he said, one hand petting it gently, the other coming around to scoop it up against his chest.

It was heavy, but Ash didn’t care. He could hold his new partner, at least for a few minutes.

“Well,” Rowan said dryly. “Now that we are all set, you are free to go and start your journeys. Take care, and do your best in whatever you choose to do within the League. The number for the Laboratory is already entered into your pokedexes in case you run into an issue; Mr. Ketchum, yours as well as all standard pokedexes now include the complete entries, not just your home region. Just make sure they are set on Sinnoh primarily and all emergency information will come up for this region first.”

All three barely remembered to thank him, more absorbed by their new pokemon than politeness. Ash was the last out of the lab, more concerned with speaking quietly to Turtwig than watching where he was going. So, of course, he promptly slammed into someone as he moved down the steps outside of the lab.

“Watch it,” the man growled.

Ash startled, clutching Turtwig tighter, having nearly dropped it at the collision. He looked up only to be met by glaring violet eyes set in a handsome face a good head taller than him. 

“Sorry ‘bout that,” Ash said sheepishly, smiling up at him, uncertain.

The man just seemed even more annoyed, the glower darkening. 

“Um, well,” Ash trailed off, not sure what exactly to say.

“Move,” he barked, making Ash jump.

“R-right! Sorry, again,” he stuttered, nearly jumping to the side so the man could get into the lab.

He just glared at Ash a moment longer then swept by him, slamming the door open and quickly disappearing into the depths of the lab.

“I see you met Paul,” Dawn said behind him, making him start and whip around.

“Paul?”

“Yeah,” Barry said, still far too loud for Ash’s taste. “He was amazing in the Beginner’s Tournament two years ago!”

Ash raised an eyebrow at Dawn, silently asking for more information as they started walking away from the lab, ignoring Barry’s raptures over Paul behind them.

“He managed to place fourth in his first year two years ago. Then, after he lost, he just vanished. Apparently, he made a pretty big splash over in Johto at the gyms, but didn’t actually participate in the tournament. Word is that he’s planning to enter the Sinnoh League again this year, but with just enough badges to not be bumped up to the Intermediate level.”

“Huh,” Ash said. “That’s pretty impressive, if a bit...underhanded.”

“No kidding. But, haven’t you heard of him? I mean, he definitely went to Kanto.”

Ash shook his head. 

“Nah, if he didn’t register for the Tournament, we wouldn’t have covered him during the season, since he wasn’t from Kanto. It’s not til after the first elimination that any of our media looks at outsiders, after we’ve gotten a chance to see how they battle.”

“Makes sense,” she conceded.

“Hey, Dawn?” he finally started hesitantly.

“Mmh?”

“Can you point me to the pokecenter? I’m planning to stay here for a couple nights to make sure I have a plan for the first few weeks, since all of my prep was for Kanto not Sinnoh.”

“Sure,” she grinned. “I was actually planning to head there anyway! I know Professor Rowan is great, but I want to get Nurse Joy to do a full physical on Piplup here before we start, just in case.”

“That’s a good idea,” Ash agreed. “Better to have the paperwork, and a solid idea of where he’s starting, right?”

“Exactly.”

They walked in companionable silence for a couple of minutes, guiltily happy when Barry darted by, yelling that he was off to show his mom chimchar, the little fire monkey happily racing his energetic trainer out of the town.

“So are you a battle trainer?” Dawn abruptly asked, after a minute of apparently psyching herself up.

Ash blinked, but nodded easily.

“Yeah, you?”

She shook her head.

“Actually, I want to be a coordinator. I don’t know if you’ve heard of Johanna Berlitz?”

Ash thought for a moment, eyebrows creasing, then slowly said, “I think so? I’m pretty sure she was a coordinator that won the Sinnoh Queen title a decade or so ago, then retired? Maybe?”

“My mom,” she said, matter of factly. “I’ve wanted to be just like her since I understood the differences between trainer classes.”

“I understand. I’ve wanted to be a battle trainer ever since I was little. It’s a little less personal for me, cause Lance’s old battles were what inspired me, but I’ve always know that I loved it.”

A few moments of quiet, and Ash could see the bright red of the pokecenter’s roof.

“I think you can do it.”

“You, too.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a little different than canon--the tournament lasts the entirety of June in every region. July is the month for gym leaders to have off before the start of the next season - as well as when the Grand Contest is held - so starters are given out the first week of August. And, since gym badges are “active” for five years, a lot of new trainers will take a year or two to travel and earn badges before entering the tournament, especially because there is a 500 trainer limit at the beginner level - that decreases at each level - with sign up starting exactly 1 week before the opening ceremony  
DarkSerpentCat - Ash will definitely be limited in how many pokemon he catches. For the Sinnoh portion of this fic (because, spoilers, I do plan to have him go to at least Kanto afterwards) he will have no more than 8 pokemon, including Turtwig. I have planned them all out so far, so I can tell you that most can be found in Platinum, if that helps. And, like you, I like to see him use less popular pokemon when I can, though I won’t spoil his flying type so soon. Hope that answers everything, and let me know if you have any other questions!

**Turtwig**

**The Tiny Leaf Pokemon**

**The shell on its back is made from soil. On a very healthy turtwig, the shell should feel moist.**

**This turtwig is male.**

**This turtwig has the ability Overgrow.**

**This turtwig knows the moves Growth, Tackle, Withdraw, and Absorb.**

Ash smiled, running his fingers over Turtwig’s head as he flipped through the pokedex’s entry, rechecking the line’s possible moves. He was waiting for the results of Nurse Joy’s health check; processing the blood and other samples took nearly two days. But, her preliminary opinion was that Turtwig was incredibly healthy, as expected from a starter given by a professor. 

Dawn had left the day before, after waiting overnight to see if her results would get in. Eventually, though, she had gone. She had told Ash that she was planning to come back through Sandgem in a couple days anyway, since she wanted to go see her mom one last time before heading out to win her ribbons. Since she was going to be going by before needing to battle anyway, she would just drop by the pokecenter on her trip and get her piplup’s results then.

Ash had wished her luck, sad to see his new friend leave so quickly. But, he was a bit guilty to realize that he felt a bit of relief that she was leaving without asking him to wait for her. He didn’t think he would mind traveling with someone, but not so soon into his journey. It might have been safer for a few newbie trainers to travel together, but, in his opinion, it actually stunted their growth. By traveling with others immediately, Ash felt that they came to rely on them, both for survival and training. It meant that once they parted, those trainers wouldn’t be able to do everything needed for camping for weeks on end. Plus, it meant relying on another trainer, one who would eventually become an opponent, to train your pokemon, instead of just the trainer and their partners.

Besides, having to wait around to get Turtwig’s results had been an unexpected boon. Being a trainer meant that all pokecenters had to give him three free nights, with one free meal each day for him and any pokemon he had on hand, as long as there was a vacancy. Pokecenters were also required to give a standard physical and blood work up if requested, along with basic healing and immunizations, for any pokemon he had on hand. Further nights or meals would cost him, as would deeper scans or more intensive healing. However, that meant that for the first three days in Sinnoh, while he was researching and getting the bare bones of a plan, he had a guaranteed safe place to sleep and free food once a day. Since he wasn’t battling yet, and had spent a good chunk of money in Veilstone on supplies, that was a very good deal for a rookie trainer like him. 

In the end, Ash decided to start slow. Everything he had read suggested taking the Oreburgh City gym for the first main badge. That it was close, and a rock type gym, made his decision for him. Typing wasn’t everything, and an experienced trainer could easily out think a rookie with type advantage and win, but Turtwig would have a distinct advantage against Roark. Besides, Ash wasn’t sure when he’d be catching another pokemon anyway, far more concerned with personality and potential over immediate strength. So, there was no telling if he’d find something better if he skipped Oreburgh for a different option. Especially because, until Pasteria and the water gym, the next few options weren’t very good match ups. He’d still attempt them, even the minor gym in Jubilife that was normal typed, but he wasn’t very hopeful of his success. It would still be a good experience, though. For him and for Turtwig.

“Ash Ketchum?”

Ash startled at the soft voice of Nurse Joy right beside him. He hadn’t noticed her approach, to absorbed in his thoughts and his pokedex, while Turtwig had been napping.

“Yes?” he asked, flushing slightly at his reaction.

She just smiled and held out a folder.

“Your turtwig’s results.”

Ash took them and immediately started to shuffle through them.

“Thanks, Nurse Joy. Did you find anything worrying?”

“No. He seems to be very healthy, though still young. He’s fine to train and battle, but watch out for the next few weeks. When he gets especially tired, make sure to have him rest in direct sunlight for a bit, and keep him hydrated. Once he’s just a bit older, it won’t be as much of a concern, and he’ll be able to properly self-regulate and feel his limits. For now, though, he’s just a bit too young still.”

Ash nodded along, eyes scanning the paperwork.

“That’s why I came to Sinnoh, actually. Professor Oak knew Professor Rowan would have an extra starter, but they were too young to stay stable in the cross-continental transporter.”

Nurse Joy immediately agreed. 

“Absolutely correct! He may be old enough to battle, but stress of that nature could have crippled his development. When he’s a few months older, it won’t be an issue, though. And he’s fine to travel with you back to your region, if you’re interested in doing so.”

Ash smiled up at her and shook his head.

“This is actually a great opportunity, so I’ve decided to stay here and take on the League in Sinnoh this year, then head home afterwards. I’m not sure when I’d be able to make it out here again, after all.”

“A good choice, Mr. Ketchum. Sinnoh may be harsh, but I’ve never seen a more breathtaking region in all my years.”

“Thanks, Nurse Joy. I’ll probably stay one more night, just to make sure I have everything settled, and I’ll be out of your hair in the morning.”

“Take care, then. Goodnight.”

“Night,” he answered and looked down at Turtwig. “You heard that?”

Turtwig nodded, yawning.

Ash raised an eyebrow.

“Did you understand it?”

Turtwig looked up at him, then seemed to shrug as if to say “sort of?”

“Basically, until you’re a little older, when you get tired, you have to rest. Which means that, even if you think you can keep going, if I tell you to stop, you have to listen, or you could accidentally damage yourself. Understand?”

Turtwig huffed, but nodded after a moment, obviously not happy.

“You ready to get started?”

Turtwig perked up, looking at Ash eagerly.

“Well, it’s early enough. I think we can at least do a bit before we have to turn in, don’t you?”

Turtwig nodded, quickly jumping from his lap and heading towards the door, not even waiting for his trainer. Ash just laughed a little, but followed, happy that the small pokemon was so ready to work.

“First,” Ash said as they stopped on one of the empty practice areas behind the pokecenter. “I want to see how well you know your moves, alright?”

Turtwig nodded and firmed his stance.

“Growth,” he called, and nodded at the immediate glow around Turtwig’s body. “Good. Withdraw.”

Turtwig curled up, his shell gleaming with the move.

“A little slow, but it shouldn’t take much to fix it,” Ash muttered, taking notes on his pokedex. “You see that dummy, Turtwig?” he asked, pointing towards a target on the side.

Turtwig nodded.

“Use Absorb on it.”

A green glow gathered around Turtwig’s body, then shot off to hit the target. Unfortunately, the move couldn’t be completed because there was no life force for Turtwig to funnel. So, the glow paused and hung around the dummy, instead of coming back to the pokemon.

“We’ll have to practice against other pokemon to make sure that it cycles correctly,” Ash said. “But, it looks good so far. Again, it took you a little too long to build up, but we can correct that. And, finally, Tackle on that dummy.”

Turtwig took off with a cry of his name. Ash did his best to stifle his smirk, but it was very obvious that, even this young, Turtwig’s line was not meant for speed. The pokemon dashed as quickly as he could to the target, stumbling and nearly tripping a few times before he banged into it.

“Good job, Turtwig,” Ash said, crouching down to pet his pokemon when it ran back to him with a happy cry. “We definitely have work to do, but you’re doing so well.”

Ash heard a dismissive scoff and turned to see the man he had bumped into at the lab - Dawn called him Paul.

“Can I help you with something?” Ash asked, trying to stay pleasant as he scooped Turtwig into his arms and stood to face him.

“Definitely not,” Paul sneered, looking him up and down.

“Right,” Ash said, quickly losing his patience. “Well, in that case, there are plenty of free training areas and we’re in the middle of something. So, if you wouldn’t mind…” Ash trailed off, motioning away from the area he and Turtwig had claimed.

“You haven’t even taught it a new move yet?” Paul said, deliberately ignoring Ash’s suggestion and stepping closer.

“No,” he answered, deciding to see if answering Paul’s questions would get him to leave. “Because I got _ him _,” he said, stressing Turtwig’s gender. “Two days ago, and just received Nurse Joy’s health write-up. So, no, I haven’t trained my brand new pokemon whose medical history I knew nothing about. Thanks for worrying about a newbie trainer accidentally crippling a pokemon through inexperience and stupidity, though. It’s so nice of you.”

Paul laughed, a sharp, cruel sound and stepped closer, using his height to tower over Ash. 

“Careful there, rookie. A more powerful trainer might take exception to your tone.”

“Well, a more powerful trainer should be aware that a pokemon that is neglected or purposefully harmed through the trainer’s actions is grounds for seizure of their team and suspension of their license, pending a full investigation.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Of course not. You’ve been training for two years, right? There’s no way my baby Turtwig could possibly stand up to any pokemon you have on hand. Threatening you would be foolish. As would be a trainer who knows that they are far more powerful and experienced but still deliberately attacking a weaker trainer and their sole pokemon. That’s normally called assault.”

Ash could see Paul’s jaw clench, muscles working as he fought against saying anything else. Those violet eyes were piercing and Ash was glad that people couldn’t actually kill with a look. Still, after a long moment, Paul rolled his shoulders and took a step back.

“That would be stupid,” he agreed. 

Ash tilted his head, agreeing without taking his eyes off of the volatile man in front of him.

“Luckily neither of us are, then,” Ash said.

Paul snorted, looking over him one more time. Then, he just turned his back on Ash and walked away.

Turtwig made an uncertain warbling sound, and Ash looked down at him.

“Don’t worry about it, bud. He may be strong, but he’s a jerk.” 

He started back into the pokecenter, deciding their momentum was gone for the night.

“Hopefully, we won’t run into him again until we’re strong enough to actually be a threat. Then we can show him just how good we are.”

*

“Your line is known for their overwhelming physical abilities,” Ash said to Turtwig as they made their way down Route 202 bright and early the next morning. “Your speed and special abilities suffer for that strength, though.”

The small pokemon slumped and gave a small whine, not wanting his new trainer to think he wasn’t good enough. Ash just rubbed Turtwig’s head.

“That’s not a bad thing, Turtwig. It just means we need to be aware of it and structure our training around making you a physical powerhouse. You’ll never be fast, but we can make you faster than our opponents will expect. And focusing on building that and your stamina up now means that they’ll get a boost as you age and evolve. It’s going to be hard work, though,” he cautioned.

But Turtwig just squared up as best it could from Ash’s arms and chirped, obviously up for the challenge.

“Good,” Ash said, smiling. “The tournament is in June every year, but if we don’t get at least 8 badges or have a full team of 6, we can wait and enter next year. But, if we aim for the next tournament, that means we have just under 10 months to get ready, since it’s August now. But, it’s better to hit Sunyshore a month before so that we can get to the League early to rest and make sure we sign up before the trainer limit is reached.

“Still,” Ash continued, making sure Turtwig was still listening. “It’s better to take our time while we’re here at the beginning of everything. Trying to rush your development won’t do anything but damage you in the long run. So, I don’t want you to think about having a deadline, ‘cause I’d rather we miss this year, than have you permanently impared. Ok?”

Turtwig was quiet for a moment, staring up at his trainer. Then, tears gathering in his eyes, he let out a jubilant cry of his name. Ash really cared about him, Turtwig realized. It didn’t matter that he was weak now, because Ash believed that he would get stronger. It didn’t matter how long it took to get there, either, because Ash didn’t care about that, just about doing it safely. Turtwig let out another soft cry, snuggling into Ash’s chest, and they walked along the peaceful Route together.

“This Route isn’t very long,” Ash said abruptly a couple of hours later.

Turtwig made a soft, inquiring noise, but didn’t really move, far too comfortable.

“If we keep going, we’ll definitely reach Jubilife by dark. But, if we go ahead and find somewhere to camp for tonight, and plan to get to the city tomorrow, we can spend the afternoon training after we set up and eat some lunch.”

There was a pause, then Turtwig made an excited noise, nearly wiggling his way out of Ash’s arms.

Ash laughed, “okay! We’ll stop soon, then.”

Ash stopped, carefully lowering Turtwig to the ground, leaving the pokemon to tilt his head at this trainer curiously.

“It’s-” he paused and pulled out his pokedex, to check the time and the gps map. “Just after noon, and we’re about halfway to Jubilife. So, until we find a good spot to set up, we’re going to go ahead and get started with a bit of training. So,” he said, starting forward, Turtwig trotting beside him. “We’re going to work on your endurance.”

Turtwig sighed, but gamely kept going as they cut away from the road and into the trees. His short legs meant that he was forced to move quickly to keep up with his trainer, but he also knew Ash was right. He was young and weak and untrained now, but eventually he would be able to be a physical wall for his trainer. But, it would take time and work to get there.

Ash kept them walking through the thicker grass for half an hour, keeping an eye on Turtwig to make sure it wasn’t too much for him. When he saw the pokemon beginning to truly struggle, he started looking for a good clearing. Only a few minutes later and a promising area caught his eye. Even his ears could hear the soft rumble of a small stream nearby, and the clearing itself was large enough that he could make a fire in the middle and set up his sleeping bag far enough away from both the fire and the trees that he would be safe for the night.

“Turtwig,” he said, and the panting pokemon looked up at his wearily. “We’re going to camp here. While I set it up, can you gather some wood for a fire for me?”

Turtwig nodded, getting back to his feet and heading through the bushes.

“Try not to go too far,” Ash called out after him.

He heard a vague cry in return and smiled, turning to his bag. Once Turtwig was back, Ash was able to finish setting up camp easily, and dished out some food he had prepared before they left the pokecenter and water for them both. An hour later and the bowls were washed and drying and Ash had a pot of water boiling over the fire to purify it.

“Alright, Turtwig,” he said, standing and clapping his hands.

Turtwig immediately perked up from where he had been sunbathing while Ash cleaned up.

“You’re alright with your moves for now, though we’ll be working on them to master them. But, as we talked about, your main strength will be in physical moves, but the only grass move you know is special. So, we’re going to start off today with some conditioning to warm up, then we’re going to start learning Razor Leaf.”

Turtwig bounced in place, chirping up at him, making Ash smile.

“Let’s start with laps, ok? I want you to go around the clearing five times. Try not to go too fast because I want your speed to stay steady.”

Turtwig nodded and took off. While he did that, Ash kept half of his attention on Turtwig, while he also looked up some videos on his pokedex of others in the turtwig line using Razor Leaf. One of the better parts of the pokedex, in Ash’s opinion, was the trainer-run app. It could be accessed anywhere with the capabilities of the pokedex, and had videos and tips uploaded from actual trainers on how they trained their pokemon for specific things, like increasing speed or teaching moves. The app even had a section where trainers could leave messages to ask questions or let other trainers know of rare migrations and such. 

Turtwig stumbled to a stop next to Ash, panting, when he was done a few minutes later.

“Good,” Ash said as he crouched down. “Now, I found a video of a torterra using Razor Leaf.”

Ash started playing the video, angling the pokedex so that Turtwig could see it.

“When you’re a torterra, you’ll be ably to infuse the leaves from the tree on your back to act as sharpened projectiles, so it’ll be much easier. But, for now, you’re going to need to infuse grass energy into the leaves on your head specifically. Once you have that down, the energy build up should let you duplicate the leaves away from your body and use them as small knives or darts. Understand?”

Turtwig nodded slowly, eyes still focused on the looping video of his final evolution using the move. In all honesty, even Turtwig knew that the move wasn’t very powerful. The video wasn’t even taken during a battle, instead it looked like the trainer had their torterra deliberately use the move so it could be recorded and posted. So, he knew that eventually this move would become obsolete - only brought out when his regular moves would be overkill or his trainer needed a distraction. Still, for now, this new move would be the strongest in his very limited arsenal. 

And he was so incredibly ready to make Ash proud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turtwig: Growth, Tackle, Withdraw, Absorb, Razor Leaf


	4. Oops

I am so sorry guys. With doing 4 Master's courses last semester (what was I thinking?) and preparing to literally move across the country I have had absolutely no time to write. But, I have officially moved now and I'm settling in. My classes don't start again for another week or so, though I am getting to work within the next couple of days. So, hopefully, I'll have a new chapter up shortly. When I do, I'll replace this note completely, so keep an eye out!

Again, I'm so sorry. And thanks to everyone who's still waiting. 

See you soon.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, I’m sorry that everything’s taken so long. Working full time, taking three master-level classes, and newly living with my girlfriend makes for a very tired writer!
> 
> pokeranger21, Ash will not get a riolu - I feel like it’s been overdone in fics, and I’m trying to use less used pokemon
> 
> Random sidenote, I have this theory that TMs don’t actually enable a pokemon to learn a move when it couldn’t, neither do tutor moves. Instead TMs (and tutors) are for making it much easier to learn specific moves that might not be so easy for that particular pokemon (like the drowzee line can learn shadow ball - a ghost type move that would be very difficult for a psychic type to learn by itself). So, while TMs are in this story, sometimes Ash will have a pokemon learn a move by itself that - in game canon - they can only learn by TM. Egg moves are still moves that they have to be born with, because they do work a little differently.

“Welcome to the Jubilife City Pokecenter! How can I help you today?”

Nurse Joy’s overly perky voice made Ash want to grimace, but he stifled the urge. There was no reason to offend the one person in the city who could heal Turtwig up and give them lodging for free.

“Could you check over Turtwig, please? We only took off from Sandgem yesterday, but we’ve done a good bit of training and he’s still pretty young. Plus, I’d like to get a room for the night, as well.”

“Of course!” she chirped, her chansey stepping forward with a tray.

Ash reluctantly held Turtwig out, the pokemon still small enough that he didn’t have to return him to get a check-up. As the nurse’s pokemon took him away to the back, Ash rolled his shoulders, absently smiling as he took a room key. They hadn’t been together long, not even a week yet, but he had already gotten so used to his pokemon’s presence that it felt wrong to be separated. Despite his disquiet, Ash headed towards his room. Turtwig’s check-up would last long enough for him to grab a quick shower. 

As expected, they hadn’t even run into any trainers on the way to Jubilife. There was a minor gym just past Twinleaf - a dark type on the shore of Lake Verity, if he recalled correctly - but dark types were still one of the least favored types, so the gym didn’t have much traffic, and there was no other reason for a trainer to be on the Route 202 side of Jubilife if they weren’t a sponsored trainer. Running into an experienced trainer like Paul at the lab had actually been a surprise - Ash figured he was probably checking on a pokemon that was being studied at the professor’s ranch or something - because it was so rare to see older trainers at the regional labs. 

Generally, if they housed their extra pokemon at the professors’ ranches, they just called and switched them out from pokecenters. The only reason for a trainer to be along Route 202 was to con the three rookie trainers getting sponsored by Rowan - it was usually just not worth it since there were only three of them, and not only the professor but any other trainer who heard about it would rain hell on anyone stupid enough to do so. Ash had rarely seen Professor Oak truly pissed, but one time it was for that exact reason, and he had been vividly reminded as to why his pseudo-grandfather had been feared in his prime and still was to this day.

Basically, Ash and Turtwig had trained by themselves and against some of the local wild pokemon. Unfortunately, that really didn’t give them much actual battle experience. Sure, a fight against a pokemon could be extremely difficult, but the pokemon on the Routes near the professor’s lab were mostly young and weak. They didn’t understand battling, and were mostly fighting on instinct not experience. So, it was nothing like battling another trainer or a more experienced, older pokemon. In the end, Ash decided as he returned to the front to collect Turtwig, though Jubilife did have a minor gym, he wasn’t sure having their first battle as a gym battle was the best idea. 

Ash greeted Nurse Joy, who started to tell him about his pokemon’s check-up, only to be interrupted by Turtwig letting out an exuberant cry and launching himself off the counter. Ash automatically caught the flying pokemon, stumbling back a few steps, laughing brightly. He cradled Turtwig against his chest and let the pokemon nuzzle against him, and stepped back towards Nurse Joy.

“Everything’s fine,” she said, smiling at the cute scene. “Turtwig had a few bruises and was tired, but nothing major. I assume you’ve been told to let him rest frequently due to his age?”

Ash nodded when she trailed off questioningly, obviously listening but still more focused on his pokemon.

“It looks like you’re doing well on that front. Like I said, he was tired, but not exhausted. Just keep watching for that and you should be fine.”

“Thanks Nurse Joy,” he said when it looked like she was done. “Do we owe you anything?”

She shook her head. 

“Everything was standard and covered under your sponsorship.”

“Well, thanks for everything, then.”

She just waved him off with a smile, her chansey giving a bubbly cry of its name, too. 

“Time to get some food and train a bit more, huh?” Ash said to Turtwig, who started wiggling in his arms happily.

Ash just laughed again as they made their way to the cafeteria.

“If we’re quick, I bet there’ll still be trainers on Route 203 that are up for a battle.”

Turtwig paused, looking at his trainer, then dove into the food Ash put down in front of him, obviously just as ready for some real battles as the other. Ash smiled at him briefly, then followed suit. With Oreburgh City - and more importantly the gym - at the other end of the route, there would be a good number of trainers there, unlike the one they had just walked. Sure, there might be some older trainers going around re-battling gyms to keep their badges active, but most of those stayed off the main routes and either flew to each gym, or traveled in the more dangerous, off-route areas to keep themselves sharp. Besides, having a turtwig - or any of the three regional starters - was an obvious indication that he was brand new, so most older trainers wouldn’t bother with him anyway.

When they finished - probably inhaling their food more quickly than they should have - they ran back to his room so Ash could grab a couple potions and empty pokeballs, just in case. He left his bag in the room - locking the door and pocketing the key - and patted his pocket, making sure his pokedex was still there. He tucked the potions away in his other pocket and clipped the empty balls to his belt next to Turtwig’s.

“We’ll be coming back here tonight,” he murmured to his pokemon who chirped in reply. “But, it’s better to be prepared if something happens.”

It didn’t even take 15 minutes for them to get outside of the city and onto Route 203. Then, barely moments after they hit the dirt road, a boy emerged from the bushes along the sides. He seemed a bit older than Ash, maybe a year or two at most. 

“You lookin’ to battle?” he called out, dusting the grass off his pants.

Ash eyed the massive arcanine that followed his trainer from the tall grass.

“Depends,” he answered, making the older trainer laugh.

“I just caught a new pokemon a few days ago,” he soothed. “Haven’t had much time to do anything with ‘er, but a battle against a newbie would be a good way to gauge where she is. You in?”

Ash considered him for a moment longer then nodded sharply. 

“I’d like that, thanks. Ash, by the way,” he said, holding out a hand.

“Jake,” the other answered, giving a firm shake.

“One-on-one, standard rules?” Ash asked as they moved off the main road and into the grass, looking for a good spot.

No matter what region a trainer traveled to, the basic rules governing the League were the same. Ash figured it was an attempt to foster travel and tourism among trainers, especially the more casual ones who would use their active trainer license to get expedited into a new region and then spend money. Since trainers with an active license were able to skip most of the regular cross-regional paperwork and time restraints with their visas and passports, those who could afford to keep a valid license did. But, the standardized rules also made it much easier for serious trainers to always know what to expect when going into a new region to battle and compete. So, they had just agreed on one pokemon each, no healing items though held items were acceptable, with a cash prize of 200 pokedollars. 

Ash actually suspected that Jake was classified as a mid-level trainer, either intermediate or advanced, with how powerful that arcanine looked. Trainer battles between the four levels - beginner, intermediate, advanced, or elite - were generally decided by both the trainer’s experience and the pokemon’s, and the prize could be anywhere from 200 to 2000 pokedollars, depending on the level. Honestly, Jake probably made between 700 and 1500 pokedollars per battle - again, depending on the pokemon he used and his opponent - so Ash wasn’t really sure why the older trainer was bothering with him, though he wouldn’t complain. Even if he didn’t win, the experience for Turtwig would be priceless.

Though, interestingly enough, when two pokedexes were in close proximity with a vocal agreement of rules, somehow they logged the battle and took care of the prize money transfer without the trainers doing anything. There was a program built into every pokedex that somehow evaluated the pokemon used and were able to identify the winner - most likely through feedback from the pokeball - and register the win to the trainer’s account. It was far too complex for Ash to make heads or tails of, and the one time he’d asked the professor about it, he’d felt overwhelmed within five minutes. So, he just knew it worked and that was enough for him. 

“Sounds good,” Jake replied.

They quickly found a good strip of land - most likely thanks to trainers tending to battle right off the road.

“Ready?” Jake asked, tossing a pokeball in the air, his arcanine sitting at his back, relaxed and happily watching the two trainers.

Ash swallowed but nodded, motioning for Turtwig to take the field.

“Ready.”

Turtwig ambled forward and gave a warbling chirp in return. He was just as nervous as his trainer, both very aware that this was their first battle and it was against an experienced trainer, no matter that he was using a pokemon he’d just caught.

Across the field a small black pokemon appeared in a flash of light.

Ash blinked, still unfamiliar with the local pokemon. He pulled out his pokedex and waved it at Jake.

“You mind?” he asked, not wanting to scan the other’s pokemon without permission.

“Go ahead,” he replied.

Ash grinned at him and pointed to pokedex at the unfamiliar pokemon and the pokedex recited the basic information.

**Shinx**

**The Flash Pokemon**

**The extension and retraction of its muscles generates electricity. It glows when in trouble.**

“An electric type, huh?” Ash mused, glancing over the bare bones information.

Since it wasn’t his pokemon, he didn’t have access to anything except the basic information on the species. It would have to be enough.

“You can have first move,” Jake called once Ash had tucked his pokedex away again.

Ash nodded and looked at Turtwig.

“Ready, buddy?” 

He laughed at Turtwig’s enthusiastic call.

“Alright,” Ash said, lowering his voice. 

He wasn’t sure how good Turtwig’s hearing was, but it would be better than a human’s no matter what. So, since yelling out moves loud enough for his opponent to hear was foolish, Ash was determined to train himself to speak his commands, if not whisper them. Until they had been together longer and had combos and plans set up, that was the best he could do, honestly.

“Growth, Turtwig. As many times as you can, then switch to Withdraw right before you get hit.”

Turtwig didn’t answer, just anchored his feet in the dirt and crouched slightly. After a moment his body glowed.

“Tackle!” Jake called out as soon as he saw the move forming.

Still Turtwig was able to get off two Growths and just barely managed to Withdraw before the Tackle hit.

“Tackle while it’s close,” Ash said.

Turtwig popped out of its shell and tried to go after the shinx. Except, Turtwig tripped, tumbling over himself and away from the shinx. Ash couldn’t help the sigh, though he wasn’t too surprised - he had already known that Turtwig was very slow and a bit clumsy when trying to run. Luckily, Jake’s shinx was surprised enough to simply stand there and watch incredulously instead of following up with another attack.

“You’re ok, Turtwig,” he called when the pokemon managed to get back to his feet, shaking his head, but crying out in agreement.

“Charge then Spark,” Jake called out, apparently deciding to keep his distance for the moment.

That suited Ash just fine, though, as he called “Razor Leaf!” 

Turtwig was still working on mastering it, but he had made a lot of progress with it when they were training the day before. Turtwig braced himself, concentrating. Ash winced when he saw that it was still taking too long to bring up, but his pokemon was soon glowing green and the small leaf on his head seemed to be blowing in a nonexistent wind. It only took a moment longer for it to blur and duplicate into a small collection of floating, razor sharp leaves. Even better, Turtwig managed to get the attack off successfully.

At almost the same time that the shinx was hit with the sharp leaves, though, Turtwig was hit with the Charge-powered Spark. Even worse, Ash realized, were the small yellow sparks of paralysis that flashed across his shell. 

He clenched his fist, but shouted “again” forgetting to keep quiet in his haste.

Turtwig tried to shoot off another Razor Leaf, wincing halfway through when the paralysis acted up, just in time to take another Spark. Slightly charred, Turtwig managed to finally get off another Razor Leaf. 

But, it wasn’t quite enough. 

Jake’s shinx took it hard, nearly falling, but fired off another Spark. One that was powerful enough thanks to the Charge and the damage Turtwig had already taken to knock the grass pokemon out. 

Ash gasped out a cry of his pokemon’s name and took a step forward before stopping himself. It was dangerous to walk onto a battlefield, even after one of the pokemon had been knocked out. He fumbled for Turtwig’s pokeball, returning the pokemon in a flash of light. He absently heard his pokedex beep in time with Jake’s - a confirmation of the other’s win - but Ash was too distracted by his injured pokemon to really care about the loss yet. 

“C’mon, newbie,” Jake said, gently turning Ash around and back towards Jubilife. “Let’s get you to Nurse Joy.”

Ash knows that they got back safe, Jake’s arcanine easily intimidating all the wild pokemon away from them, but he doesn’t really remember it. He came back to himself sometime later, when Turtwig plowed into his legs, crying to be picked up. He came back to himself curled in a chair in the pokecenter. Jake was long gone, and Ash had been left alone in his corner, though he could see the concerned face of Nurse Joy from behind her desk. He cradled Turtwig against his chest and breathed in the pokemon’s scent - fresh dirt and growing things - and just breathed. Ash sat tehse and just breathed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turtwig: Growth, Tackle, Withdraw, Absorb, Razor Leaf


End file.
